Bagan Naga-yon-hpaya Temple, Myanmar

Address

Bagan Naga-yon-hpaya Temple, Myanmar

Nyaung-U,

Myanmar (Burma)

Moolavar

Buddha

Introduction

The Naga-yon temple probably dates to the 11th-12th centuries, or more narrowly to the late 11th century. It is largely similar in plan to the nearby Abe-ya-dana-hpaya, though it was built slightly later and is about 50% larger. Strachan notes that in contrast to the Abe-ya-dana, the paintings at the Naga-yon exclude “heterodox” elements such as Tantric, Mahayana, and Brahmanic deities and iconography that are prevalent at Abe-ya-dana, suggesting that the early Bagan kings were in the process of “purifying” their practice of Buddhism, favoring Theravada orthodoxy emanating from Ceylon (the spiritual center of Buddhist learning in south Asia).

Puranic Significance

The temple stands at the center of a vast quadrangle measuring about 230 x 270 meters, bordered on each side by masonry walls. Four gates at the center of each wall provide access, with each gate arranged to look like a miniature temple. In the corners of the enclosure are four identical stupas, in varying states of repair that were likely erected in the 12th century. The ensemble is canted a few degrees west of true north.

The temple itself, measuring about 24 x 42 meters, is arranged longitudinally with the main sanctum to the south and an entrance hall to the north. The exterior decoration and elevation is very similar to the Kubyauk-gyi (Myinkaba), the earliest dated temple at Bagan (from 1113). The broad, fortress-like mass of the walls, punctured by five arched windows on each side but the north, gives way to a three-tiered roof that tapers upward toward a sikhara (spire), which was reconstructed in 1975 following a devastating earthquake. Although the exterior of the temple was once completely covered in stucco, very little now survives apart from a few traces, among them the northeast-facing pilaster on the sanctum, which indicates the exceptional quality of the workmanship.

The original name of the temple has been lost to history. It is now called the “Naga-yon”, meaning “Protected by a snake/naga”, following a story in the Glass Palace Chronicle that suggests the temple marks the spot where Prince Htihlaingshin (the future King Kyanzittha) slept while fleeing from the wrath of Saw Lu’s armies. According to the chronicle, a naga rose up and watched over him, and in recognition of this meritorious act the prince built a temple on the same spot when he became king. However, Stadtner suggests the whole incident is a recent attribution. The connection to a naga probably derives from the design of the Buddha in the central sanctum, which was refurbished in the Konbaung era (1752-1885) to include a snake-like hood draped over the Buddha’s head. The connection to King Kyanzittha was then established later by the (not always reliable) author of the Glass Palace Chronicles.

The Konbaung-era refurbishment presents some difficulty in understanding the temple’s architectural history, and also may have effaced a number of the temple’s mural paintings. Strachan notes that “The walls of the shrine, as have been noted, have been whitewashed over—who knows what painted treasures lie beneath?” Until some future technique is invented to peer below the surface, this will remain a mystery. In contrast, a number of original mural paintings remain visible in the south part of the temple (primarily the ambulatory around the central core) though a number of them are in what what Stadtner describes as “miserable” condition. The theme generally focuses on the jatakas (stories of the Buddhas former lives), suttas (sermons) and the life of the historical Buddha, Gautama.

Like the Abe-ya-dana, the architects of the Nagayon also reserved numerous spaces for sculptural presentation—71 niches in total. The entrance hall on the north side includes 10 niches and two free-standing statues, the latter identified as the Bodhisattvas Lokanatha and Metteyya (a manifestation of Avalokiteśvara andthe future Buddha, respectively). The corridor around the sanctum holds the bulk of the niches—61 in all, with 8 on each of the wall surfaces apart the north wall of the sanctum (with 4 niches) and the south wall (with 9). The majority of these hold reproductions of statues that depict the 28 prior Buddhas as well as the historical Buddha, a theme deriving from the Buddhavamsa (one of the books of the Sutta Pitaka in canonical Theravada scripture) which describes the historical Buddha’s encounters (in past lives) with the 27 former Buddhas who preceded him, many eons ago.

Both Stadtner and Strachan note that these images are sometimes out of order, suggesting that the scenes were rearranged long ago before they were first catalogued by Luce. The originals of these statues, where they exist, are now located in the Bagan museum for their own protection; as recently as May 1988 three of the original standing images were robbed directly from the temple and have never been recovered.